What Equipment Is Needed to Start a Karaoke Business?

Over the past 25 years or so, karaoke has become almost as popular in the United States as it is in its native Japan, and there are many karaoke bars across the nation. Collecting the equipment needed for a karaoke business is not difficult, and it need not cost a lot of money. Here's a quick rundown of what you'll need.

Karaoke Machine

You'll need a karaoke machine that will either play CD+Gs or digital MP3s.

Monitor

You'll need a decent TV monitor to display the lyrics as the music plays. Make sure the screen is large enough--at least 19 inches--so your patrons can easily read the words.

Microphones

Microphones are essential. You can use corded or wireless, although a good wireless set will cost more. The advantage to wireless mics is that there are no cords for (possibly) tipsy customers to trip over.

Speakers

You'll need at least one 10-inch or 15-inch public address system speaker (all-in-one karaoke machines have a built-in speaker). For larger venues, you should probably use two.

Music

You'll need a wide variety of music to play. Music is most commonly supplied on CD+G packages that are specially made for karaoke machines. These discs include music tracks and special graphics tracks that display the lyrics on a TV monitor.